Israeli troops will not leave the buffer zones in Gaza, even after the war ends, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
On Wednesday, Hamas appeared to reject an Israeli-proposed ceasefire deal that would see the return of nearly a dozen hostages who have been held captive for more than 550 days. Israel resumed combat operations in the strip last month after a previous ceasefire agreement fell apart before Israel and Hamas could reach phase two.
‘Unlike in the past, the IDF is not withdrawing from areas that have been cleared and captured. The [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and Israeli communities under any temporary or permanent arrangement in Gaza — just as it does in Lebanon and Syria,’ Katz said in a statement on Wednesday.
The buffer zones that Israel established along the Gaza border make up 30% of the strip, according to the Times of Israel. The outlet also reported that Israeli troops have been working to create the Morag Corridor, which would cut off the southern city of Rafah from Khan Younis.
Hamas reportedly said that any deal that does not have ‘real guarantees for halting the war, achieving full withdrawal, lifting the blockade, and beginning reconstruction will be a political trap,’ according to Reuters.
Since it resumed operations in March, Israel has been condemned by leaders of international institutions who have called for an immediate ceasefire.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement that he was ‘very concerned’ about the situation and the lack of humanitarian aid going into the strip. Katz confirmed on Wednesday that humanitarian aid was being blocked in order to put pressure on Hamas, which has been accused of stealing aid.
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon condemned Guterres’ statement, saying ‘The U.N. secretary-general has no problem explicitly condemning Israel’s defensive war in Gaza and unequivocally calling for a ceasefire. Yet his statements, once again, fail to mention the hostages and fail to mention Hamas, whose barbaric actions on October 7, 2023, triggered this war.’
‘This war Hamas started will not be over until all of our remaining 59 hostages are returned home from brutal captivity,’ Danon added.